St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-19
A STATUE OF MEADE.
1t was Unveiled at Philadelphia
Yester day.---OratOricalT Tributes
to n Soldiers Memory.

to n Soldiers Memory.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 1S.-The bronze
statue of Gen. Meade was dedicated to.
day in Fairmount in the presence of a
vast cOncourse of people. Survivors OF
the Army of the Potomac and many
prominent army and naval officers were
present at the special invitation of the
Meade memorial committee of the Fair
mount Park association.
| The procession started at 80 d. IN.
and was under command of Col. James
Z. Biddle, who was member of Gen.
Meade's military family during the war.
In addition to the First brigade Ma
tional Guards of Pennsylvania, there
was in the line Grand Army posts from
the departments of Pennsylvania, New
York, New Jersey, Delaware and Mary
land, the Pennsylvania commandery of
serve association, Union Veterans
league, sons of veterans. soldiers or
phans and the One Hundred and Four
teenth Pennsylvania Volunteer asSOcia-
ton, which regiment Gen. Meade COM
manded in the early part of the war.
All along the line of march the
militia and veterans were greeted with
cheers, and when the head of the
column reached the site of the memorial
III the park, the crowd on the grounds
numbered close onto 10000 people. A
stand for the accommodation of the
speakers had been erected close to the
memorial. and within the incloSuse
were assembled the members of Gen.
Meade'S immediate family and MANY
distinguished military and civil guests.
The memorial, which takes the shape
OF a bronze equestrian statue, is the
work of the sculptor A. NJ. Calder. It
is of heroic size and is mounted Oh
pedestal of rough granite about twenty
feet in height. The statue represents
Gen. Meade refining in his horse sharply
on the slope of hill. while hat in hand
he is returning salute. The design is
spirited one and the likeness is strik-
ing. The ceremonies at the statue were
opened with prayer by Bishop White
head, of PittSburg. This was followed
by brief address by Mayor Filter, the
presentation to the Park commissioners
on behalf of the Paramount association,
by Benjamin IL. Brewster. eX-attorney-
general of the United States, and the
unwilling of the statue by Master George
Gordon Meade and George Gordon
Meade Large, grandsOnS of the general.
Mayor Filter then introduced Mai .-Gen.
John GibbOn, U. S. A. who delivered
the Grafton. After adverting to the
fact, that though all officer of the regu-
lar army, Meade up to the beginning OF
the war, had never commanded even
company of soldiers, Gen. Gibbon said,
in speaking of the second battle OF Bull
run:
The problem was how and in what way to
get the Army of the Potomac and the Army
of Virginia together in front of Washington
before Lee could bring superior forces to
bear upon the lstter army. / touch upon
this matter merely that may refer to con-
Versation held with Meade at the time our
army was concentrated about Warrenton.
He had recently returned 10 his command
and Informed me that he had lust held a con
yersation with the army commander,
Gen. Pope, during which Meade asked
him the question: What are you
doing out here. You should be falling back
towards Washington. 1t is a ell-knoWn fact
that the authorities in Washington sent Pope
orders to hold his ground in advanced posi-
tons at the 'front.' Mark the fact that here
an obscure brigade commander, the future
commander of the Army of the Potomac had
well defined, sound ideas upon that ail-im-
portant and northumberland subject in mil
itary OperationS-Strategy.'
The speaker then told how surprised
Gen. Meade was when awakened at
midnight and informed that he had been
given the command of the army of the
Potomac. He thought at first that he
had been placed under arrest. The
back to the battle Of charlottesville,
barely two months before. After the
retreat Hooker insisted that Meade had
cOunSeled it and that he had so re-
ported to Washington. When. there
fore, messenger from the war depart
ment reached him he naturally suspected
arrest. In speaking of the telegram
from Gen. Halleck to Meade after the
i battle OF Gettysburg expressing disap-
pOintment that Lee had not been cap
tured and his army destroyed, Gen. Glib
I bon said:
+ 1t is worth no mans while TO attempt to de-
/ fend Gen. Meade from charges which came
very near being made the pretext for de-
priving him of the command of the army
fhose who knew the character of the man
will not hesitate to accept as conclusive his
adjuration before the committee on the con-
duct of the. war;. and repeated in other
places with the same earneStneSS. Il deny
che says, under the full solemnity and sane
Gty of my oath, and in the firm conviction that
the day will come when the secrets of
all men shall be known-I utterly deny ever
having intended, Or Thought for one instant,
to withdraw that army. unless the military
contingencies which the future should de-
yelop, during the course of the day. might
render it matter of necessity that the army
should be withdrawn"
Gen. GibbOn emphatically denied that
Gen. Meade had any intention of re-
treating from the field Of Gettysburg Oh
the morning of July 2 or at any time
during the battle. He said also:
AS one of the numerous controversies
which have arisen since the battle of Gettys-
burg is in regard to the powers bestowed
upon Gen. Hancock on that occasion,
simple quotation from Meade's letter of in
structlon dated 10 p. M, July 1, ought to
be sufficient to settle the question. 1t says:
THAT you proceed to the front, and by virtue
OF this order, in case of the truth of Gen.
Reynolds death, you assume command of
enth, First and Third, at Emmettsburg.'
Hancock, of course, obeyed his order.
He concluded his Grafton with an elo-
quent tribute to Gen. Meade's bravery
and distinguished services as soldier,
his heightened honorable character as a
man and his virtue and integrity as
citizen of the Republic. Among the
distinguished gentlemen present were:
Ex-President r. B. Hayes, Gov. Beaver.
of Pennsylvania, and staff; Gov. Green,
of New Jersey, and staff; Gen. Fitz-
John Porter, Gen. H. w. Slocum. Gen.
James B. Fry, Gen. d. NJ. Gregg; Gen.
l.. A. Grant, of Minneapolis: Admiral
L. A. Jenkins, U. S. NJ; Gen. r. c.
Drum, U. S. A.; eX-Gov. Chamberlain,
of Maine, Gen. LuciuS Fairchild, Gen.
John +. Hartranft, Judge John P. Rea,
commander-in-chief of the Grand Army
of the Republic, and Maj. Samuel Har-
per, commander &. A. r. Department
of Pennsylvania. In the evening the
Paramount Park Art association gave
reception at the Union league to the
distinguished visitors, and George G.
Meade post No. l, G. A. r., gave them
q banquet at St Georges hall